Chicken Pot Pie

Another frozen meal I made for my mom was a chicken pot pie. I usually make the Bisquick version but decided that the crust would be really soggy and might not work well frozen.

I usually am a purist and like to make everything from scratch. I have tried many pie crust recipies but simply never get the amazing flaky and delicious results of store bought crusts. So this time, I decided to try the Krusteaz Pie Crust mix where you just add water. LOVE IT! It was inexpensive and the crust was grand. Jeff and I liked it much better than the Bisquick filling which gets soggy. Plus it was really easy.

Okay, here is my recipe:

1-2 Cups Cooked, Cubed chicken (depending on how big of a dish you are making)
2 Cups of frozen vegetables, thawed (or fresh if you have them on hand)
1 Can cream of chicken soup
1 pie crust

Mix the first three ingredients and put in casserole dish. Cover with the pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

To freeze: Freeze before baking for one hour. Remove from freezer and wrap with freezer wrap. When ready to eat, remove from freezer one and a half hours before cooking time to thaw. Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent over browning. Bake at 450 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min or until crust is brown and mixture inside is hot.

*note: if using potatoes in pie, do not freeze. Texture will be unpleasant.*

This is a great quick meal you can prepare any day. On days when you have more time and/or produce, use the fresh stuff because if takes the pie to a whole new level.

Pizza Casserole

For my mother's birthday this year, I decided to make her a few frozen meals. This way, she could just pull something out of the freezer but still enjoyed the homemade goodness of it. I, of course, doubled all the recipes so I could try out the food first and make sure it tasted good.

This pizza casserole tasted similar to one my family used to make growing up. However, we made that casserole without meat and this one has ground beef in it. So I imagine if you are in a vegetarian mood, this would turn out just find without the beef. If I were to change anything about the recipe, I would layer it. Put cheese and pepperoni in between layers of pasta, instead of just on top.

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg (8oz) spiral pasta
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz pepperoni

Directions:
Prepare pasta as directed on pacakage. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain fat. Once noodles are cooked and drained, add them and the spaghetti sauce to the meat. Put contents in a 13x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni. (Alternately, put half of contents in a 13x9 dish, sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni, add the rest of the pasta and put on another layer of cheese and pepperoni.)

If you wish to freeze, allow to cool and then cover and freeze. Let thaw in fridge overnight. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

If you do not want to freeze it, simple put in the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Baked Pork Chops

Kudos to Nana for this recipe. I usually have a hard time deciding what to do with my pork chops so I quite enjoyed this dish, which gave them flavor and tenderness.

Ingredients:
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 Tbs crispy fried onions
3/4 Tbs flour
1-2 tsp Garlic Salt or your choice of seasoning
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 egg
Pork Chops

Directions:
Combine the first five ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag. Beat egg and dip the pork chops in it to coat. Put pork chops, one at a time, into bag and shake to coat. Place on greased baking dish and bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn the pork chops and bake for another 20 minutes. If desired, place about 1 tsp of margarine on chops when turning. When done baking, let stand for a few minutes and then serve.